High Cholesterol & Lipid Disorders

Lipid abnormalities, whether caused by genetics, lifestyle, medications or another medical condition, should be taken seriously and treated appropriately. Our high preventive cardiology and lipid therapy team understands how to diagnose and treat lipid disorders, taking the whole patient into account.

The most common lipid disorder is high blood cholesterol (hyperlipidemia or dyslipidemia). We also treat other less common lipid disorders such as hypertriglyceridemia, which can lead to pancreatitis, and familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic tendency toward high blood pressure, which begins at birth.

In addition to family history, certain other conditions or medications can contribute to high blood cholesterol, including:

• Thyroid disorders
• Diabetes
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Kidney disease
• Certain medications (anti-rejection drugs for transplant patients, beta-blockers, diuretics and others)

Increased Risk for Heart & Vascular Conditions

Patients with more than one other risk factor for heart and vascular disease can benefit the most from an accurate lipid diagnosis and the latest treatment approaches available from our expert preventive cardiology and lipidology team. Obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, (together known as metabolic syndrome); a personal or family history of heart attack; or a high coronary artery calcium test score can all increase a person’s risk of serious heart disease, especially when combined with abnormal lipid levels.

Having abnormal lipid levels can increase a patient’s risk of several serious heart and vascular conditions, including:

• Angina
• Aortic Disease
• Carotid Artery Disease
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Peripheral Artery Disease

Regardless of the cause, high cholesterol should be accurately evaluated and monitored to help reduce a patient’s risk of serious heart or vascular disease, or even premature death.